The Promise Land
by Child of the Night13
Summary: Bonnie takes a deep breath, "He's dead. Stefan is dead, Damon." One-shot. 5x21


**Inspired by the events in 5X21 "The Promise Land" RIP Stefan Salvatore.**

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"_**Death leaves a heartache no one can heal, love leaves a memory no one can steal." **_

_**~Richard Puz, "The Carolinian" **_

The idea of dying, like real actual dying, never occurred to Damon Salvatore. After all he is immortal, free from time and existence. He's been a vampire for over 170 years, still considered a baby among many immortals and he wasn't afraid of anything—not even death. The one thing he is afraid of (apart of Elena's astounding reputation of getting into trouble) he thinks, as both Elena and himself walk towards a deserted cabin where the Scooby-doo gang decided it's a safe place for the time being; is something happening to his baby brother.

Of course he will never share this thought out loud for he was considered the heartless one according to Caroline and everyone else. He is a cruel, heartless beast with no capability of thinking about anyone else but himself. She was wrong, Damon knew this. Dead wrong.

"Jeremy!" Elena yells out as she sees her brother racing to him. She hugs and kisses his forehead, "You okay? Did anything happen? Where are the others?" Jeremy keeps still sending her an empty stare immediately Elena knows something is wrong, so does Damon.

"Jeremy what's wrong? What happened?" Jeremy opens his mouth to say something but afterwards closes it quickly. He shakes his head.

"Elena…" a higher-pitch voice breaks out. The formal couple looks at the doorway at Caroline. Caroline staggers forwards her big eyes are red and puffy, a bit of mascara runs down her eyes onto her cheeks.

"Elena." She tries again but a sob chokes out. Bonnie, who is right behind her gently, puts her arms around her shoulders. "It's Stefan."

Damon perks up at the sound of his brother's name. "Yeah, talking about Mr. Hero-Hair, where is he?"

The three teenagers look up at the older member of the group with pain in their eyes; it makes Damon very suspicious of them. It couldn't be what his trick mind is telling him, is it?

"Caroline where is my brother?" He repeats the question with more authority hiding his worry. Bonnie takes a deep breath, "He's dead. Stefan is dead."

Damon blinks uncertain that he heard her correctly. Stefan is…dead? Well he knows this already he's been dead for over 168 years, nothing new. Yet some part of his mind knew that wasn't what she was talking about.

A shrieking sob fires out of Elena who doubles over in pain. Jeremy is immediately at her side, so is Bonnie. Damon knows he should go and comfort her, but his body isn't moving. It's not responding to him.

_**Stefan is dead. **_

_**Stefan is dead. **_

He clenches his jaw tightly, staring out into the surrounding woodland.

"That's it? That's all you're going to do, Damon? Stare out into nothing, not even caring! Your brother is dead, you jerk! He died because of you! It's always your fault! Your fault he died and all you can do is that! You're not even worth having Stefan as a brother, al you ever do is ruin his life; stealing Elena from him, turning him into the Ripper! You destroy things, Damon! You are the one that should've have died not him! He didn't deserve it. And you don't even care from him. You-"

Caroline stops, tears streaming down her face. She is right in front of him now, banging her fists against his chest.

"Caroline, stop!" Elena screams out seeing the conflict. Caroline laughs, "Don't defend him, Elena! You know I'm right, everything bad happened because of him, he ruins things, Elena! Your brother is dead, care dammnit!"

She slaps him hard against his cheek jolting his head to the side.

Everyone holds their breath, even Caroline realizes what she just done.

_**Stefan is dead. **_

Slowly Damon turns back, staring at Caroline with murder in his eyes. He's fuming, how she dare think she knows him! He loves his brother, he always has and nothing they pass through ever change it. He is not heartless, he's just cold.

And angry.

"What do you want me to say Caroline, what! You want me to sob my eyes out, scream at you, at…him? What do you want!" He comes closer to her.

_**Stefan is dead.**_

_**Your brother is dead**__._

"I'm not going to do anything like that, and you know why? It's not because I am heartless, Caroline" He looks at the remaining group. "Bonnie, Jeremy, Elena, it's not because I am heartless…it's because I'm breaking." His voice cracks.

"_I'm breaking_. Stefan…Stefan is everything for me; he is my brother for Christ sake! After everything that we been through I care…I _care_ more than any of you!" He quickly turns around, walking a few spaces from the blonde girl. "I-I promise my mother at her deathbed to protect him, to always be there for him"

Damon turns back around, his blue eyes glossy.

"He's…_was_ everything I had left. I promise, Caroline, I promise and I failed. I failed my mother, I failed him, and I failed everyone! Yes! Yes, it's my fault! It's _always_ my fault that people I care about die around me. My fault I didn't ask him to come with us instead of waiting for _you_…it's my fault."

Tears trickle lightly down his cheeks and he didn't wipe them away. What for? For the first time they are seeing the _real_ him.

"Everything I touch I destroy…but not him, not my brother. I care, Caroline, I care so much that I'm trying to hold it together just to tell you this!"

_**Stefan is dead. **_

Damon chokes back a sob, he feels his humanity ripping, tearing him from the inside. The line is about to snap, he knows it, question is can it be amend? More tears fall without his consent down his cheeks. He can't breathe.

**_Stefan…_**

He can't breathe, he can't breathe.

**_Is…_**

He-he can't.

**_Dead._**

Damon snaps his head upwards letting out a blood-curling scream. He clench his fist as his sides, screaming out his heartache, his frustration, his—everything .

He screams out his pain.

Of course he cares—he is not a monster. He never was a monster.

Stefan is dead.

His humanity…his brother…

Gone.

_~0~0~0~_

From the Other Side, Stefan Salvatore listens, listening at the cries of his friends. A tear slips from his eyes and until he hears the blood-curling screams it when he breaks down, listening to his brother's pain.

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**Can't wait for the season finale! Thank you all for reading! Review and comment your thoughts about Thursday's episode, **_**"The Promise Land."**_

_**Soundtrack: **_

_**Pieces—Red **_

_**Take it all Away—Red **_

_**Hurricane—30 Seconds to Mars. **_

_**Never Say Never—The Fray**_


End file.
